


Brighter Than the Sun

by GreyForceUser (ReyandKyloforever)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Office, Dirty Talk, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, Extreme Decorating, F/M, Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Smut, Glitter all over is a THING, Halloween, Hot Sex, Marriage of Convenience, Office Romance, Resolved Sexual Tension, Ruined tablecloth, Shameless Smut, Smut, Table Sex, UST, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Vaginal Fingering, author knows nothing about engineering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:15:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27597392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReyandKyloforever/pseuds/GreyForceUser
Summary: Rey Niima needs to be able to stay in the states to finish her engineering internship at Luke's Engineering firm. Luke has just the plan. He suspects Ben will go along with it willingly although Ben will pretend to grumble the whole way because he really does hate Rey Niima. HOT SEX.
Relationships: Kylo Ren & Rey, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 153
Kudos: 300
Collections: A Fall Reylo Exchange





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Notquitegreylo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Notquitegreylo/gifts).



> I was so excited to get this author to write for! The first chapter is the setup. Hotness to come... (Snort! Hotness to _"come"!_ )
> 
> The story summary IS the prompt. Any questions?
> 
> Also, I played fast and loose with some real-life happenings, just go with it. Do I know anything about engineering? NOPE!

Chapter 1

_How in the world did this happen to me?_ she thinks to herself.

Rey carefully re-reads the email from the University of Alderaan for at least the tenth time in the last five minutes, her brows raised and jaw gaping in shock.

F _rom: Brendol Hux <Brendol.Hux@universityalderaan.edu>_

_To: Rey Niima <Rey.Niima@universityalderaan.edu>_

_Sent: Fri, August 14, 2020 7:32 A.M._

_Subject: The 2020-2021 Academic year_

_Dear Student,_

_It is with a heavy heart I notify you that all students who are not citizens of Alderaan currently enrolled at the University of Alderaan must return to their homes for the Academic year of 2020-2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, known as COVID-19._

_Students will participate in University classes and activities remotely until such time the University is advised it is safe for non-citizen students to physically return to campus._

_Non-citizen students currently participating in internships will be allotted an extra two weeks to depart the country. The Internships Office is reaching out to all corporate partners to provide sufficient termination notice and to determine a replacement intern as quickly as possible._

_If you have any questions, please contact your advisor as soon as possible._

_I wish all students a successful and safe academic year._

_Brendol Hux_

_\--_

_Brendol A. Hux, M.S., Ph.D._

_Department Head Mechanical Engineering_

_Skywalker School of Engineering_

_University of Alderaan_

_2187 Naberrie Boulevard_

_Aldera, Alderaan TK-421_

She reads the email again and again but the words don't seem to be changing. They say the same thing every time: she's being deported. And replaced. As if she doesn't matter at all.

_What the actual fuck?_

Tears are pricking the back of her eyes, as they have been since she first read the ominous email several minutes ago. The mounting pressure of holding them back is making her head pound, the telltale sign of the beginnings of a migraine building.

  
  


After all her hard work, getting into the top Engineering School in Alderaan, and being at the top of her class, she is being deported.

_Fucking **deported**! _

Her hopes and dreams are _literally_ being ripped from her hands. She's spent the last year interning at Light Side Engineering, one of the premier engineering companies in the world. This internship is the most coveted the University offers, thanks to the exclusive relationship between the firm and the school. It's only available to the top applicant in the Skywalker School of Engineering every year. Rey easily won the internship after making it to the top of the class her junior year. Being invited back during her senior year, well, that doesn't always happen to those who are lucky enough to intern at Light Side. Rey, however, is fortunate enough, and perhaps _talented_ enough, to be working on one of the largest projects in the history of the firm. The thought that the pandemic, of all things, is going to rip this from her is unthinkable.

She's _devastated._

Swallowing back the tears once again, she closes her laptop, and grabs her to-go coffee cup. She may be deported in a few weeks, but for now, she has a job...and she’s running late.

Exiting the elevator on the 23rd floor of the high rise building, Rey finally arrives at the main offices of Light Side Engineering. Still wearing her mask, she waves at the receptionist behind a plastic barrier.

She heads to her cubicle and puts her things down, pulling off her mask and setting her shoulder bag on the desk. 

At the beginning of the pandemic, they’d all worked from home. Now, however, only essential project personnel that need to physically be in the office come in. They operate with staggered days and hours so that not everyone is in at the same time. The project she's working on is one of the biggest and most high-profile the firm's ever taken on, so she's in the office more often than not. It's comfortable now, but it wasn't at first.

While most of the company was working from home in isolation, the project Rey is assigned is so critical that after quarantining for three weeks, she and her partner on the project, Ben Solo, began working in the office together almost immediately. It was rather challenging because not only was she worried and anxious about Coronavirus, but because Ben Solo is a dick. 

Ever since she saved his ass during a client conference call a couple of months into her internship, she'd become the new de facto mouthpiece for communicating with Harness the Sun on their groundbreaking solar energy project. Rey had only been present to take notes, but when Solo's temper started to flare during the call, she inserted herself to soothe ruffled feathers and got the meeting back on track. 

As a result, Finn Smith, the client's lead solar engineer, requested she be put on the project permanently and wouldn't take no for an answer.

Much to Solo's chagrin, she became his unofficial partner on the project. It's clear he still harbors a chip on his shoulder about it because he's constantly haranguing and criticizing her and her work.

Just like he's sauntering toward her cube to do right now. 

"Nice of you to join us, Niima," her nemesis taunts as he walks near her desk, staying a respectable amount of space from her. Though it doesn't really matter if he keeps socially distant. They work in close quarters and human resources has someone coming in to test them for COVID regularly. So far, no one at the firm has tested positive, thank goodness.

She turns toward the ridiculously tall man with a snort of laughter.

"Can it, Solo. I do _not_ have time for you today. I need to talk to Luke," she fires off at him before turning around, only to see the Director himself walking toward them.

Rey observes Luke's approach and sees the concern written on his face. Tears are stinging at the back of her eyes again, and she knows he's been contacted by the school already. Not far behind him is the client account manager for the solar energy project, Poe Dameron. His facial expression is similar to the Director's, and she swallows down the bile that is rising in her throat.

She senses more than sees Solo glance over to where her gaze is focused, and he frowns questioningly when he looks back at her. He's the only one who doesn't seem to know why everyone has a distressed look on their face.

"Rey, what's going on?" he entreats, the use of her first name a rare enough occurrence to garner her attention. Her gaze darts to him, puzzling at the concern she sees in his eyes.

There's no time to dwell on that, though, because Luke and Poe have reached them. Rey's never had what one would call a "poker face." She tends to be an open book when it comes to her emotions and today is no different. 

"Rey, I take it you heard from the school?" her boss asks grimly as he reaches them, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What do you mean, heard from the school?" Solo growls, looking back and forth between Rey and Luke. "Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" he snaps, exasperated.

It's Poe who speaks up. "They're deporting Rey because she's not a citizen," he directs at Solo, clearly unhappy with the turn of events himself.

Rey glances at the massive raven-haired man near her and his look of frustration quickly morphs into one of befuddlement.

"What?" she hears Solo bark. "They can't do that." He turns to her with a horrified expression.

"It's not just her school," Poe expands. "It came down from the government. All colleges and universities are doing the same thing. All students who are not citizens have to leave the country." 

Her partner casts his gaze between everyone in the group for confirmation of this declaration.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Solo bites out, his harsh gaze settling on Luke. "They're using the pandemic to deport foreigners?" Clearly, he is not impressed.

"They sure are! And from what it looks like on Twitter, everyone is up in arms about it," Poe informs them, looking to the Director for affirmation.

Luke shakes his head. "It's true, Ben. And as much as we dislike it, we have to figure something out because we can't lose Rey on the solar energy project." 

There is silence for several moments while the seriousness of the current situation settles upon them.

"What if we hire her outright and submit her for a work visa?" Solo suggests.

It's Poe who answers, again. "Nah, won't work. The paperwork for the work visa wouldn't come through in time. Plus, she's still enrolled at the school, so she is subject to their rules first, regardless if she works for us as a full-time employee. If she quits the school, she won't graduate and the student visa expires...and she'll still be deported." 

The group returns to reflective silence and Rey can no longer hold back her tears in the face of such an enormous barrier. It all seems hopeless, so she buries her face in her hands and cries, giving into despair as her body shudders with her sobs.

"Well, there is _one_ thing she could do that not even the government can argue with," Poe offers hopefully.

"What?" Solo asks skeptically, brows furrowed.

Grabbing a tissue from her desk, Rey sniffles, and mops up the moisture on her face, listening to what her friend has to say.

"If she gets married, that would make her a citizen automatically, and they couldn't deport her," Poe explains matter-of-factly.

Rey is so stunned she just stands there staring at him before she bursts out in tears again. All she hears over her crying is Poe's voice in a very high pitch, "What? It's true!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Poe!" Solo yells angrily. "She's not getting married! She doesn't even have a boyfriend, for Christ's sake."

She can see out of her peripheral vision that Poe shrugs his shoulder and leans against a nearby cubicle. 

"What does having a boyfriend have to do with anything?" Poe rebutts. "I'm talking about a marriage of convenience. She doesn't have to be in love with someone to get married." 

Rey blows her nose and yanks a couple more tissues into her hand. She knows she must look as awful as she feels, but there's nothing for it. Leaning her backside on her desk, she crosses her arms and looks miserably between all the men in the group, wiping the stray tears from her cheeks.

Then incredibly, Poe utters words that she can barely process. "You know, _you_ could marry her, Ben. Then she'd be able to stay in Alderaan and continue working on the solar project with you." 

Not only does he say these outrageous words out loud, but he says them so nonchalantly, like getting married is no big deal and that it would be some type of natural progression for the good of this project.

Rey's just...speechless. She blinks a couple of times before her eyes widen and her jaw gapes open, unable to find any words to form a coherent response. And if _she's_ tongue-tied from Poe's suggestion, Solo's reaction is a sight to see—a silent combination of anger and astonishment.

Solo blanches, opening and closing his mouth multiple times before he shakes his head and narrows his eyes, his deep voice dangerous, "What did you say?"

Poe has the good sense to straighten up at the menace in his co-worker's tone. Though Rey doesn't know if her feelings on the matter match her partner's or if she should be insulted by the affronted way he responds.

"Lighten up, Solo. I was joking. Mostly," Poe finishes with a mumble and an awkward smile that's more of a grimace.

For his part, Luke has been silently observing as the unusual events unfold in front of him, carefully calculating everything before commenting, as is his usual approach to solving a problem. Much to her surprise, what Luke says next is almost as mind-blowing as what Poe did.

"Actually, I think Poe might be onto something," their Director finally remarks calmly.

Solo snaps his eyes to his uncle, his cognitive functions still seemingly stuck on repeat, "What?"  
  


Nodding and beginning to pace, Luke continues as if his nephew hasn't spoken and doesn't currently look like a giant deer caught in the headlights. "The more I think about it, that could work," he says, gripping his chin with his thumb and forefinger, the latter crooked over his lips as he thinks. 

Rey is starting to grow uncomfortable with the gleam in her boss's eyes as his gaze shifts back and forth between her and Solo appraisingly.

Finally, her voice returns and she tries to insert some sanity into the craziest conversation she's ever had. 

"You can't be serious, Luke. Solo and I barely get along as it is, we couldn't possibly get married," she cried, hoping beyond hope there is another solution to this massive hiccup in her life plan.

Their boss pauses for a moment. "You're right, Rey," he agrees, only to continue on with another absolutely absurd statement. "You'd both have to work on being nice to each other in order to convince the immigration officers," he adds, and it's again as if Rey hasn't issued her objection that this is a viable or even realistic plan.

"Convincing immigration? Do you hear yourself, Luke?" Solo rebukes, his face reddening and his voice rising in annoyance. Shifting his weight onto one leg, he puts his hands on his hips and grouses, "Poe said he was joking, anyway."

Poe jumps in quickly to counter. "Well, I was _sort_ of joking, but in all reality, you're both single and young. So you get married and she can stay in the country? You can annul it after the pandemic and by then she'll have graduated and be a citizen," Poe shrugs as he lays out what he must think is an easy peasy, fool-proof plan. "Let's face it, Ben, it's not like you have a girlfriend or any prospects. You hardly date as it is," he scoffs.

It's not like Rey has any prospects either, she admits silently to herself. Who has time for dating while taking classes at the most prestigious engineering university in the country, _maybe even the world,_ and simultaneously working on a major planet-changing project?

Solo looks like he's about to have an aneurysm. The veins in his temples are protruding, his face is getting redder by the minute, and his jaw is clenched tight. 

"What the fuck does my love life have to do with anything?" he booms, glaring at his uncle and Poe intermittently. Waving his arm aggressively in her direction, he spits out, "Or hers for that matter? What you are suggesting is not just some simple thing you can do and undo. Not to mention we'd have to do it soon and we'd have to move in together. And it might be _years_ before we can annul something like this to keep her in the country."

It's Rey's turn to blanch at the suggestion of moving in with Ben Solo, of all people. Tolerating him at work is one thing, but living with him? She'd have to see him and his stupid muscley body in pajamas? Sleep in the same apartment as him? Watch his stupid plush lips while he ate? Share his bathroom where she can smell his stupid cologne that makes her shiver with arousal? 

No, no no...this is a _terrible_ idea.

"Listen, I don't think—," Rey begins to object but her Director abruptly interrupts her.

"I know this idea sounds crazy to the two of you," Luke proffers, palms up, his gaze drifting between them both.

Rey looks tentatively over at her partner and sees that he still looks upset by the whole idea, as he should. However, when he turns his head and meets her eyes, she sees something unexpected...a dark heat she can't quite place.

"But the reality here is that Rey doesn't _want_ to be deported, and we can't afford to lose her on this solar project," Luke reminds them with his usual tranquility, underpinned by the calculating tone of a successful business magnate. Turning to direct his attention to his nephew, he continues, "Ben, you remember what happened with Finn Smith when we told him Rey was done for the term and would be taking a break over the summer? He threatened to pull the project."

Cringing, Rey chances a glimpse at Solo and sees him sigh heavily, his chin dropping to his chest, hands still on his hips.

She's about to speak again when Luke stretches out his hand and shushes her with a raised finger. Jerking her head back, she clamps her mouth closed.

"The last part of this, which you don't know yet, Ben, is that not only do they plan to deport Rey, but they also plan to replace her with someone else from Alderaan University so that we are not out an intern," their boss informs them, a bit more caustically this time, "and they've already told me who they intend to send."

"And? Who is it? " Solo asks impatiently, growing increasingly surly, causing his uncle to take a moment to dip his head and throw a disparaging look at him.

"Your good friend Armitage Hux," he finally acknowledges with a deep frown. "Apparently, he's a professor over there and his father thought he would be a good fill-in for the University's top engineering student after they kick her out of the country," he concludes grimly.

"Hux," Solo repeats with an eerie calm, his head still tilted downward. "They want to replace Rey with Hux," his monotone voice states more than asks, his lip curled in disgust. Calm has evolved into disdain and it's practically dripping off him. 

Luke just nods with slumped shoulders and dull eyes, giving a long exhale.

"Fuck," she hears her partner exhale emphatically, his lips clamping shut and his jaw working as he contemplates the news.

Without moving anything but his head, he side-eyes Rey, and his Adam's apple bobs as he swallows before consigning himself to his fate. He mutters softly, "Looks like we're getting married."

Rey narrows her eyes, the pound of her heartbeat growing in her ears, feeling betrayed by his acquiescence to this ludicrous plan. She's barely said a word and everyone seems to have decided for her.

"Now wait just a min—" she contends, but this time it is her apparent fiancé who cuts her off.

"Rey, if we don't get married, you'll get deported. Is that what you really want?" Solo asserts in a soothing tone, a sad smile on his lips. He turns his entire body toward her and takes a few steps into her personal space so the only thing she can see is him—not Luke, not Poe, not the rest of the office. Just _him._

His essence envelopes her and she feels a bit lightheaded if she's being honest.

He puts his hand lightly on her shoulder and pins her with the full brunt of his chocolate eyes. "I'm sorry, Rey. I know it's not what either of us wants, but If we don't do this, you'll have to leave. I don't want that to happen to you," he murmurs softly so that only she can hear. "We'll make it work. I promise."

His dark eyes are boring into hers with an intensity she hasn't seen in them before, and though she knows this will be harder on her than him, she knows there is no other recourse for what the government and school have rained down on her. With the way he's looking at her, the tingle on her shoulder where he gently touches her, she isn't sure she could say no to anything he asked of her.

_My God, he can never know the effect he has on me like this._

Unable to do much else, she agrees with a nod. He gives her an almost imperceptible nod and steps back from her, enabling her to see the other two men again.

Her heart is still racing and she feels tears beginning to gather yet again, knowing that while she might save her job and her degree, she may lose her heart. 

She presses her lips together and swallows before she turns to her boss and agrees, "Okay. We'll do it."

Almost immediately Luke, Poe, and Ben turn away from her to begin plotting, and she wonders with a heavy heart what she's just done.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a wedding in this one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to [@LadyRhi ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyRhi/pseuds/LadyRhi%22) for the amazing beta. She helped this chapter so much.

Chapter 2

_How in the world did this happen to me?_ Ben thinks to himself.

Just three short weeks ago he’d been arguing with her, just as he'd done from the moment she’d walked into Light Side Engineering and turned his life upside down. Now, he's in a crisp black suit, an ivory rose boutonnière on his lapel, in the backyard of his mother's house, gazing down at the gorgeous face of Rey Niima, about to marry her.

It's a bit like a _Twilight Zone_ episode in its absolute implausibility.

His mind hasn't stopped spinning since Poe and Luke first came up with this insane plan to keep her from being deported. The instant he and Rey begrudgingly agreed to this harebrained scheme, his mother and Luke had commenced planning the wedding like it was a special ops military operation. 

To everyone's surprise, it's not as easy as one might think to get a marriage license or to actually go about tying the knot in the time of COVID. Couples have always needed to apply for the license in person, but now, instead of just showing up at City Hall, they needed to make an appointment just to apply. Even with the benefits of his mother's little black book of contacts, they’d waited two weeks before they could get in to fill out the application. 

Then with the three-day waiting period after applying, the actual ceremony ended up pushed right up against the University's deadline for deportation. Rey would only have one day to notify the registrar's office that she'd married an Alderaanian, thus making her a citizen by default.

To top off the challenge of getting the damn license, no weddings were being performed at City Hall because of the pandemic. After his mother researched it, the quickest and easiest way to get an officiant was having someone granted a one-day designation to conduct a wedding. The Governor's office was apparently doling out one-day designations like Molly at a rave. 

Which is how they ended up in Leia's backyard with Luke presiding over the wedding. 

And somehow in between learning there would be no quickie wedding like in the movies, his mother had managed to plan a real wedding. Whether he and Rey wanted one or not was immaterial. Leia’d told both of them in no uncertain terms that if getting married was what needed to be done to keep Rey in the country, then they might as well have some fun with it.

In attendance are his mother, a myriad of Ben's uncles, a few friends, and some co-workers. The early September air is still warm, so an outdoor wedding on his mother's veranda made it safe for the few guests invited to be present. Leia Organa, not known for doing anything simply, had gone the extra mile to decorate the veranda like it's a country club wedding, and Ben's a bit embarrassed by it all, if he's being perfectly honest. 

Because this marriage is not real; it's solely to keep Rey in the country for college, which in turn makes her available to work on the solar project. He's had to remind himself frequently over the last two weeks of that fact. Such as every time he and his bride-to-be discussed things like her giving notice at her apartment or the endless details surrounding her move to _his_ apartment. 

Because all of those exchanges had been _real,_ a fact he's still attempting to wrap his head around even now, standing amidst the flowers and the well-wishers. She's _really_ moving in with him, and they will _really_ be living together. 

All of which has put him in this conundrum of having one foot in reality, participating in a marriage of convenience, and the other in a world of fantasy, one where he and Rey are going to pretend they are in love with each other. 

For as fake as the marriage is supposed to be, he's standing in front of a brilliant, gorgeous woman in a wedding dress, and he can't help the butterflies he has in his stomach or the pounding of his heart. 

Because right now, holding Rey’s dainty hand inside his enormous one feels about as real as real gets.

He can't deny that she’d literally taken his breath away when she'd stepped out of the house several moments ago. He'd been unsure what she'd be wearing because they hadn't really discussed it at all, but she's in an honest-to-God, _real_ wedding dress, and his heart aches for this to be real.

She looks ethereal in the ivory lace sheath dress that ends just above her knees. It becomes sheer lace above the bust, rising up to her collar bone, cutting off just shy of the shoulder, then plunging down her arms to her wrists. The creamy color highlights her tanned shoulders and slender neck. In her hands is a small bouquet of just a few ivory roses sprinkled with baby's breath. Her hair has been pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck, a spray of baby's breath intertwined with some curled chestnut wisps draping down the side of her face. The ensemble makes her look like an angel.

 _I wish she was_ my _angel,_ he thinks.

And the fact that he just thought that scares the _ever-living shit_ out of him. How is he going to make it through this marriage of convenience with his heart intact if just seeing her in a wedding dress makes him want to get down on his knee and propose to her for real?

Ben tries to refocus his attention on the words Luke is pontificating, but now he's thinking about whether or not they are supposed to kiss when this is all said and done. Though it feels like they discussed matrimonial matters to death, _that_ wasn't something that'd come up, and he can't help dropping his hungry stare to her glistening pink lips that seem to be just waiting to be kissed. 

Luke must be able to see how inattentive he is to what’s going on because he gently touches Ben's bicep when he announces his name to speak his vows.

"Do you, Benjamin Solo, take Rey Niima to be your wedded wife, to cherish in love and in friendship, in strength and in weakness, in success and in disappointment, and vow to love her faithfully, today, tomorrow, and for as long as the two of you shall live?”

He can feel burning at the back of his eyes as he takes in every word his uncle speaks to heart, his mouth and throat dry as a bone. As he gazes intently into the fathomless depths of her hazel eyes, he's not sure, but he thinks he can see some moisture beginning to pool there, too.

"I do," he answers honestly, his whole heart encompassed in those two tiny but meaningful words.

Luke now repeats the vow for Rey and he swallows nervously as he watches her.

"I do," she repeats and it sounds like her voice is straining a bit, so he gives her hand a comforting squeeze. His lips curl up with what he hopes is an encouraging smile and she responds with one of her own, relaxing him somewhat.

Then they exchange rings and he feels just as emotional with this as he did a few moments ago with their vows. When they are finished placing rings on each other, Luke encourages them to hold both of their hands together before sermonizing again. Ben, however, is lost in the exquisite woman in front of him and decides that for just these few moments, he will allow himself to believe that it's all real and that Rey is marrying him because she _wants_ to, not because she _needs_ to.

Ben vaguely notices that his uncle is finished with whatever he was saying. Some type of closing comments, he supposes. He doesn't really care because the only thing he is truly attending to is the incomparable woman in front of him. He's always thought she was beautiful, but the way she looks today is just...transcendent.

He does, however, pick up on when Luke invites the groom to kiss the bride. 

Ben raises his eyebrow at Rey in question and she consents with a smile. Those lips that he was mesmerized by not so long ago are now his for the taking. His heart rate speeds up with both excitement and nervousness. He probably shouldn't be so enthusiastic about the prospect of kissing her, but he _so is._ Truthfully, he's been wondering for probably the entirety of the last year what her lips would feel like if he were to kiss them. So, he's not about to waste this opportunity.

Wetting his lips with his tongue, he dips his head down to meet her, and when he closes his eyes and their lips finally connect, he's lost. There's just no other way to describe it. He's lost and never wants to be found. She's sweet, warm, and soft, and he's never wanted a kiss to last longer than he does this one. 

He's found nirvana right here on earth and it's in Rey Niima's lips. While he kisses her, a twinge flares in his abdomen and spreads out from there as his mouth moves reverently over hers. He feels her responding to him by moving her own lips and it sets his blood on fire. 

She's not pulling away, so neither does he. Tentatively, he sweeps his tongue across her lower lip and hears the slight hitch of her breath. His heart now feels like a hummingbird trapped in his chest. He wants to delve into her mouth, to take this kiss farther and see where it leads, but he's brought back to earth from this heavenly journey when the clapping and cheering come to an end.

Reluctantly, Ben pulls back from the kiss with a new understanding of what really living means. His beautiful bride is blushing while she attempts to look anywhere but at him. Try as he might, he can't for the life of him take his hungry eyes off of her or stop thinking of her unexpected reaction to their kiss. 

But all good things must come to an end, however, and the next thing he knows, he's roused from his daydream by Luke patting him on the shoulder and pulling him in for a congratulatory hug. Rey's pulled away for hugs by her friends and he can't help but think this all feels very _real_ for something that's supposed to be fake. He knows something fundamental has changed in his life and is left wondering if she feels it too.

___________

To no one's surprise, the photographer Ben’s mother hired is conducting their wedding photoshoot like a drill sergeant. As luck would have it, she's not just any ordinary photographer; she's Amilyn Holdo, his mother's life-long best friend. A veritable aunt to Ben, Amilyn has no doubt been filled in on the dirty little details of today's nuptials and informed that the pictures must reflect a couple completely in love. 

Well, for Ben, it's not much of a hardship. Rey, though? He really isn't sure how she feels about it at all. Amilyn seems to like the photos she's getting, so that's something at least. 

_That means she's not miserable about it, right?_

"Okay! Now Ben, move in and rest your forehead on hers and both of you smile at each other," Amilyn instructs them, gesturing for them to move in close together as she looks down into her camera to frame the shot. 

They do as she asks and Rey jokes quietly, "You're blurry now." They both laugh at that and Amilyn shouts her approval of what she sees on her screen to the noise of her camera clicking away.

"Now, I want you to kiss again," he hears his mother's friend command. 

He looks down at Rey almost apologetically and sees she looks nervous.

"We do need all the pictures to look like we're a real couple," he offers with a shrug, though he is secretly dying to get his lips on hers again.

"Right," Rey replies before licking her lips and his eyes are immediately drawn to them like a moth to a flame.

"Get going you two, I haven't had a drink yet and it's hot out here!" the photographer berates them.

Without further adieu, Ben does as she asks and leans down to capture his wife's lips.

_My wife's lips! Oh my God, I'm really married!_ he muses as he once again loses himself in the sweet softness of Rey's kiss. 

This time, however, there aren't a bunch of people watching. It’s just Amilyn, and he takes full advantage of that fact by promptly swiping his tongue over Rey's plush lips. She opens instantly and he slides his tongue inside her warm mouth, that tension in his belly from earlier suddenly resurging, tenfold.

To his great pleasure, she is not a passive participant in this kiss, as she timidly strokes his demanding tongue with her own, and he can't keep back the noise of rapture that comes from his throat, unbidden. The clicking from Amilyn's camera is a distant background noise as their kiss goes on and on.

He is so engrossed in the kiss, he barely registers the loud exhale from somewhere nearby. 

"Don't mind me! Just let me know when you're done," his aunt scolds loudly, compelling them to end the most glorious kiss of Ben's life abruptly.

Face now flaming, he has the grace to give his partner in crime a sheepish smile before mumbling his apology, "Sorry."

All Rey can do is mumble her equally abashed response, her face just as red, "S'okay."

"Great!” Amilyn trills brightly. “Now if you two are done sucking face, let's wrap up these pictures, shall we?"

________

The rest of the afternoon passes without incident; sadly, no more opportunities to sneak a kiss arise. His mother has ordered catering and everyone eats and drinks their fill. It's not a large or long party, but the marriage _is_ celebrated as if it's real. 

It takes all of Ben's mental faculties to keep remembering that it's _not_ real, that this is a marriage of convenience _only._ Throughout the afternoon, he is constantly reminding himself that Rey's _not_ in love with him, regardless of how he may feel about her.

The few guests in attendance finally leave and tonight will be the first night that Rey sleeps at his apartment. The fact that there is no honeymoon works perfectly with COVID because who the hell is traveling during the pandemic?

He drives them back to his place and they enter _their_ apartment without fanfare. 

Moving her into his home over the last couple of weeks has been an endeavor in patience. While his tastes are simple and few, hers are ornate and varied. Her apartment had been an amalgam of different styles and colors, none of them even _remotely_ blending with the aesthetic of his modern minimalist apartment.

"Rey, I can tell you are emotionally tied to that coffee table, but it is _not_ coming into my apartment," he’d cautioned her emphatically two days prior as they moved her belongings. "I have a coffee table already and that... _monstrosity_ doesn't match at all," he concluded with disgust, arms crossed over his chest.

"Don't you mean _our_ apartment? As in, I live there too?" she countered, a tilt to her head as if she'd caught him in a 'gotcha'.

"I'm sorry, you're right," he replied with a cocky smile. "That coffee table is not coming into _our_ apartment." 

She scoffed loudly before responding, "Well, _excuse me,_ Mr. fancy-apartment-man. Not all of us have the money for top-of-the-line furniture, you know!" she conceded sarcastically, crossing her arms over her own chest and one-upping him by thrusting one hip out. " _Some_ of us are still on a college budget."

Ben dipped his head and exhaled heavily.

"I'm sorry, Rey, but that table is going into storage if you want to keep it," he pronounced without an ounce of guilt.

Rey hummed a loud, disapproving noise as the movers had taken the coffee table out to the truck that was to bring her items to the storage facility that Luke arranged for her. Most of her furnishings had gone into storage with the fees paid by Light Side, so it really wasn’t any skin off of her nose how much of her stuff went in. 

He does, however, want her to feel at home in his— _their—_ apartment, since they are to be sharing it for the foreseeable future. Which is why he'd agreed to many of her knick knacks and decorative items to be placed in the truck bringing items to their home. He certainly has the space for them, given he has very few of those items himself...a lack which she has been only too happy to inform him of.

"Jesus Christ, Ben! It's like you live in a museum. Or that you had someone decorate like a showroom you saw in a furniture store," she’d reproached the first time she’d visited his home sweet home.

His face reddened because that was exactly what he'd done. He has no eye at all for interior decorating, so he’d just copied the showroom. But _she_ doesn't need to know that.

"I like simple," he replied instead, hoping it sounded convincing enough that she wouldn’t see right through his facade.

"Well, there's nothing of you as a person—what you like, what you are interested in, anywhere in here," she pronounced, gesturing with both arms as she turned in a circle in his living room. "Is it okay if I personalize this for us, as a married couple—put some pictures up and maybe some other things?"

His answer had been easy that time because although he didn’t like her secondhand furniture of varied colors and designs, he didn’t mind the thought of a woman's touch in his apartment at all. Not just _any_ woman's touch though; he only wanted Rey's. 

And because of this strange series of events, he gets to have it. 

Ben isn't sure how his new bride would take to him carrying her over the threshold so he unlocks and opens the door, gesturing for her to enter first. She glances up at him with a soft smile before entering. He follows behind her and moves to the counter to drop his keys. After he's done so, silence settles in between them and he can't keep his eyes off her in that dress. 

She's standing just inside the door, looking around their now eclectically-decorated apartment.

She seems at a loss, so he clears his throat and gestures for her to move further into the apartment.

"I don't think I got the chance to tell you yet today, but you look beautiful," he compliments her in his deep bass. She dips her head down, smiling as she blushes adorably.

"Thank you, Ben," is her bashful reply. Then after another moment, "I think I'll go change." She turns and heads down the hallway to her new bedroom.

He watches in disbelief at the fortuitous situation he finds himself in. No, the marriage isn't real, but he can't help but feel lucky to have her so woven into his everyday life because of the joy and lightness she brings with her. She truly is brighter than the sun.

And he's the luckiest bastard who's ever lived.

________

It's been two weeks since the wedding, and Ben's never had to deal with so many unwanted erections in his life. Not even as a pubescent teenager has he had so many! His dick is likely to fall off from the chafing of how frequently he jerks himself off to try to _not_ have an erection around _her._

But she _isn't_ making it easy on him.

She sleeps in the guest room, and it's decorated as such with very little in the way of indicating it's her room. The master bedroom, however— _his bedroom_ —contains so many items of hers, he half expects her to come in any moment when he goes to bed at night. Unfortunately, they’re only there to convince anyone looking that it's where she sleeps every night.

_He wishes._

That thought alone is enough to get him hard, which is why he tries not to think about it very much. She doesn't help the situation at all, though, by prancing around in shorty-short pajamas every night like she's a guest in the Playboy Mansion. Her ripe, luscious ass hangs out of those shorty-shorts that she wears with no underwear that he can see _(and he's looked very carefully to check for them),_ and it's all he can do to stop from groaning out loud when she comes out of her room wearing them.

Ben assumes Rey must have no idea how tantalizing she looks in them because she sashays around as if she hasn’t a care in the world.

He used to watch TV or browse on his laptop in his living room to wind down in the evenings, but now that Rey has been living here, he heads to his room the minute she says she's changing into pajamas, or the moment he catches sight of those damn shorty-shorts. He has so much pent up sexual frustration, he's not sure how much more he can take. 

It's not like he's an overtly sexual being. He hasn't even had that many sexual partners. Rey's presence is pushing him into entirely new territory, though. Ben wants her so badly that he fantasizes about all the places in his apartment they could have sex, picturing in his mind taking her on any and all surfaces, walls, and floors. His libido has gone through the roof and he's actually contemplating purchasing a fleshlight just to stop the painful chafing from his hand on his prick.

This is what she has reduced him to and he is frustrated as hell.

"Do I smell or something?" Rey asks one night after she comes out of her room in her fucking shorty-shorts and Ben's already heading towards his bedroom. He’s trapped there, standing right next to her in the hallway.

He freezes at her words. "What?" he inquires as if he doesn't know what she's on about.

"Every time I come out here around this time, you retreat to your room. So I'm asking you if I smell or if there is some other reason you're avoiding me?" she accuses, hands on her hips.

Ben's chin dips to his chest as he contemplates how to put this without being offensive. In the end, he finally turns to her, resigning himself to having to tell her how she's been driving him crazy.

"Rey, have you looked in a mirror when you wear those pajamas?" he asks, dipping his head and gesturing with his hand up and down her torso as she stands facing him with her back toward the wall.

She frowns at him and looks down at herself, crossing her arms across her chest before jutting her chin defensively. That only serves to push her breasts together, emphasizing that she is also not wearing a bra, as there is now visible cleavage showing.

"What's wrong with the way I look?" she counters in a raised voice as she digs her heels in.

"There's nothing wrong with the way you look, Rey," he responds, facing her head-on and lowering his voice. Then his tongue darts out to lick his lips. "It's that you look _too_ good," he practically whispers as his gaze betrays him and focuses on her lips without his permission.

"Huh?" she mutters in confusion as he closes in on her. She takes a step backward and her ass lands against the wall behind her.

His hands come up to cage her in against the wall in the corridor and his yearning for her comes to a head. 

"You," Ben declares, inching ever closer to her, "in those fucking shorts. With your sweet ass hanging out," he accuses as one of his massive hands moves from the wall to the bottom of her shorts and slides the material up, cupping a bare ass cheek in his hand. "Driving me crazy," he finishes, squeezing the rounded globe.

Instead of objecting to his manhandling, Rey _moans,_ her jaw dropping open with obvious pleasure, and he's _inflamed._ His eyes darken and the cognitive functions of his brain become engulfed by his lust for her. His dick is so hard right now, he's sure he's going to die if he doesn't put it inside her soon.

Unable to hold himself back any more, he's lowering his head to seize her lips, and he's a fraction of a fraction away when her hands come up to press against his chest, holding him back.

His dark eyes that were just consumed with hunger are now confused as he looks down at her.

"I...I'm sorry. I...I didn't know," Rey apologizes in a shaky voice. She doesn't let up on the firmness of the pressure she's putting on his chest. "I won't do it again," she promises, her eyes and mouth pleading with him to accept her decision.

And he does. Because what else can he do?

She pushes a bit more firmly, forcing him to take a step back and the next thing he knows, she takes off in a run back to her room. She enters it quickly and the door clicks loudly behind her.

He's left standing there, wide-eyed and brows raised, his mouth is agape, blood on fire, and a _massive_ hard-on. She's like a tornado, coming in and whipping him up into a frenzy and then running out, leaving him wrecked, wondering what the hell just happened.

Heaving out a heavy breath, Ben remarks in a deep and husky voice to an empty hallway, "Goodnight, Rey," and makes for his own bedroom.

It's going to be another long, sleepless night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!
> 
> [The Wedding Dress](https://pin.it/5KQOHgr)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting hot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dear [@NotQuiteGreylo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Notquitegreylo/pseuds/Notquitegreylo), I am so happy that you are enjoying this little story I'm writing for you! I hope you enjoy this installment. I still have no idea how long it will be. I'm just taking it one chapter at a time and see where things lead. Though we know at least one thing it will lead to...😏
> 
> Thank you so much to [@LadyRhi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyRhi/pseuds/LadyRhi), who has to be the sweetest person I know, for the quick turnaround with Beta. 💜

Chapter 3

Her bedroom door closes behind her and Rey leans her heated body and head back against it, closing her eyes as she breathes in deeply through her nose. Her heart is practically beating out of her chest from their almost-kiss moments ago and she concentrates on the air going in and out, trying to get it back down to a normal rhythm.

Her right ass cheek is still throbbing from where Ben's hot hand had just encompassed the entire thing. 

Also throbbing? Everything between her legs is now aching with need, after the oh⎼so⎼fuckable redwood named Ben Solo was so deeply in her orbit, she was breathing in the same air that was coming out of his lungs. The moment he’d caged her in against the wall with his body, she’d become immobilized by his lust-blown eyes, just inches away from hers. 

And _God help her,_ her body had responded to what she saw in those muddy-brown orbs in all the ways it really shouldn't have.

How many times in her fantasies has she wanted him to look at her that way? Touch her with those dexterous hands? Too many to recall.

_But it isn't real._

Regardless of how much she wants it to be, whatever she thinks she’s seen is just her imagination playing tricks on her. He doesn't want her. 

_He doesn't even like me!_

No matter how accommodating he's been in helping to keep her in the country, letting (and assisting) her move into his apartment, or how kind he was on their wedding day, it's all a sham. 

Nothing's changed.

Simply put, they are just two co-workers who must work together for the good of a project. That's all they are to each other. As much as it pains her to admit, it's the truth of the situation.

Two co-workers who got married and then moved in together to keep her state-side. All for the good of the project.

_Right?_

It's an inner strength she didn't know she possessed that enabled her to push him away as those gorgeous, plump lips she knew every quirk of had slowly descended toward her own. Self-preservation's the only thing that's been keeping her heart safe for the last year. Though the stakes have been raised dramatically by getting married and living with the man she's secretly been in love with, keeping from falling in any deeper is the only defense she has against a broken heart.

Her breathing's coming under control and as it quiets, she turns her head when she hears the bathroom door down the hall close and the shower turn on.

It's only now that she realizes the hem of her pajama shorts is still rucked up, leaving the globe of her buttocks bare, the whole thing exposed to the chilly air before she finally pulls her shorts down where they belong.

Now that her body is finally calming down from all the excitement of Ben touching her and almost kissing her, she throws herself on her bed. She'll have to start wearing sweatpants when she's getting ready for bed and only change into her shorts when she's actually getting into bed. Now that her _husband_ has made her aware that he finds her pajamas _offensive._

Closing her eyes, she thinks back to the kisses they shared on their wedding day. Not that she's experienced many kisses before, but they were _really good_ kisses. Totally unexpected, of course, but delightful and tantalizing nonetheless. She’d felt them all the way down to her toes. In fact, if she didn't know any better, she would swear they were _real._ That he’d meant them.

_But that can't be true._

Aside from the vows and the pictures, they hadn't even spent that much time in each other's presence at the wedding or reception. For all the time they've spent together between work, preparing for the wedding, and her moving in, Ben hasn't given her the slightest impression he has any feelings for her other than the disdain he shows her at work. He's kept his distance even at home, interacting with her only when needed.

It's with mortification that she covers her face with her hands and groans, for now, she knows at least _part_ of the reason he's been avoiding her: her pajamas. Which, unbeknownst to her, are apparently revealing enough to elicit unwanted physical stirrings in him.

Though the way he squeezed her ass and gawked at her mouth like he wanted to devour her whole makes her wonder about her previous conceived notions about him—that he is impervious to her, completely unaffected.

What just happened in the hallway, however, certainly lends itself to the contrary of that long-held belief.

_____________

It's been almost a week since the pajama incident and she's hardly seen Ben since. If she enters the kitchen and he's in there, he leaves shortly after she arrives. The same went for the living room, the dining room, and any other space within the apartment. She's not sure if he's just trying to give her space or if he dislikes her so that much he doesn't want to be around her. Maybe he's just avoiding one of the inevitable arguments they have at work. Or maybe he's embarrassed he put his hand on her bare ass.

Whatever the reason, she can't really complain because the lack of interaction helps her as well. It keeps her secret safely hidden. Besides, he _has_ done her a huge favor, helping her stay in the country. Her entire life plan would be messed up if she'd been deported, so she kind of owes him. 

If he wants his space, he can have it. At least, until she absolutely needs to speak to him.

Today, she absolutely needs to speak to him. There's no washer and dryer in the apartment and after almost three weeks of living there, Rey _really_ needs to get some laundry done. She hasn't had to re-wear anything yet, but she's plum out of appropriate clothes to wear to work, and that's assuming her last few outfits could actually be considered _appropriate._ But hey, it's COVID, so lots of people are getting away with 'interesting' outfits lately.

She does her best to keep out of Ben's way, but she _really_ needs some clean clothes. Interact, they must.

He's sitting on the couch with his legs crossed, feet resting on the coffee table, laptop on his thighs when she comes out of her bedroom. She's changed from her work clothes into sweatpants and a sweatshirt, covering as much skin as possible, as she's done since the incident with her darling husband in the hallway last week. 

"Ben?" she calls as she enters the living room.

"Yeah?" he answers back without looking up from his computer.

She clears her throat before she asks, "I know you said there was a laundry room in the building. Would you mind showing me where it is? I'm getting a bit desperate for clean underwear."

He casts a glance at her before closing his laptop and stashing it on the table in front of him. 

"Yeah, sure. I need to get some laundry done, too," he replies without emotion, getting up from the couch and heading toward his room. "Get your stuff and we'll go down," he instructs over his shoulder, walking away.

Returning to her room, she grabs her laundry basket and detergent, then waits out in the entryway.

It's only a couple of minutes before he comes striding out of his room with his own hamper of clothing, stopping at the counter to grab his keys. He barely looks at her as he opens the door and heads out into the hallway.

The apartment building is 3 floors and they live on the top level, so they take the elevator down to the basement. It's a maze of hallways and doors down there, making it a bit tricky to actually get to the laundry room. Rey's glad she asked Ben to show her because she's not sure she would have found it on her own.

The laundry room is, well,...it's very cramped. Her new spouse seems to take up an enormous amount of space in the tiny room, stuffed to the gills with just a couple of washers, dryers, and a table.

"Looks like you picked a good time to come down; the washers are free right now," Ben informs her matter-of-factly, hefting his haul up on top of the side-loading washer. It's sometimes hard to get one when you need it."

Taking the washer next to him, she rests her own basket on top and immediately frowns. 

"Umm, you need to have a card to use these."

"Oh, shit! I forgot about that. I'll have to get you one from the landlord," is his nonchalant answer as he starts filling the washer with his dirty clothes. Then he shrugs. "Or we can both just use mine, if you want," he reasons, sounding unsure of how she might reply.

Her gaze shifts to him and he is staring at her unassumingly. It's only now, when he's standing so close and anchoring her to his mesmerizing gaze that she realizes just how _hot_ it is in there. The dryers behind them are chugging away and seem to be pumping out heat into the surrounding space, making the tiny room much warmer than she’d expected it to be. 

"Sure, that would be great, actually. I can give you cash toward the card," she offers and he immediately waves her off.

"Don't worry about it, it's no big deal," she hears him scoff, turning back to loading the washer.

Hands on her hips, she tells him in no uncertain terms, "Yes, it is. You don't need to pay for my laundry, Ben."

"You're already insisting on paying me rent, which is completely unnecessary, by the way, so I'm paying for the laundry. End of story," he concludes by throwing the last few items in, then moves to take off his sweatshirt.

That shuts her up faster than anything and she immediately forgets what they were arguing about.

"What are you doing?" she demands, her eyes widening and heart rate rising as the garment moves up to his shoulders. He's not wearing anything underneath.

Shooting a _what-the-hell-does-it-look-like-I'm-doing_ look at her, he puts words to the visual cue of his expression, "I'm putting my sweatshirt in the laundry."

Blood starts rushing in Rey's ears as the sweatshirt comes off over his head and he struggles slightly with pulling his arms out. Her sight is now completely filled with his muscular, thick biceps that ripple hypnotically with each movement.

Finally, the sweatshirt is fully off and she's treated to a breathtaking view of the naked upper torso of Ben Solo...and it has _literally_ taken her breath away. Heat is suffusing her cheeks and she knows she is full-on blushing now and _why the hell is it so hot in here?_

Ben, for his part, isn't aware of the hot flash that is surging through his wife's blood as she takes in his very well-built body because he's still stuffing his sweatshirt in the washer.

His form is so mouthwatering, she's not sure where to settle her eyes—on those bulging bicep muscles or his broad shoulders that his long, sable hair just brushes the top of? Or on the part of his chest _(does he wax or is that natural?)_ that she can just see from her position beside him? He's a veritable feast for the eyes and she's famished. 

He continues to be gloriously oblivious of her reaction to his nude upper body, which allows her to ogle him to her heart's content. Tension is coiling in her abdomen and there's a flutter in her chest that is making it hard for her to breathe. 

_Oh yes, breathe! Breathing is good._

Using the laundry card, he's setting his washer cycle and putting in the detergent while she's just standing stock still, her jaw hanging open like an idiot. She's so meticulously absorbed in watching his muscles tighten and flex as he reaches here and there, she's startled out of her stupor when he finally makes eye contact with her.

When he does, his face is flushed and his chestnut eyes are darker than they were minutes ago. The look in them causes a twinge of arousal between her legs and she's not sure if her panties are damp from the heat of the room or the heat in his eyes. 

_Does he know I've been watching him this whole time?_

He turns completely toward her and is now just feet away from her, the whole of his broad chest is nude and directly in front of her hungry eyes. She can't help but drop her appreciative gaze to it, her lips parted. It's... _massive._ His pale skin is covered in a slight sheen of sweat and she can see his pectorals expand with each breath he takes in. Her fingers are aching to reach out and slide over the chiseled muscles, teasingly drawing lines from one mole to another on his skin. 

Her careful inspection has made it up to his lips, which are parted and glistening. Slowly her lids rise higher and the blackness of his pupils almost swallow the brown of his eyes. If she thought she was turned on a few moments ago, flames are now licking at her insides and her breath is quickening, her heart practically hammering out of her chest.

He says her name, "Rey," and it sounds like he's asking a question, sending a shiver of pleasure through her body. 

She's sure he's going to kiss her now and she doesn't think she will be able to stop herself falling into him this time. Because if she's being honest with herself, she regrets not letting him kiss her in the hallway last week. With the way he's looking at her right now, she's thinking that perhaps there _is_ something there between them—that it wasn't just a man reacting to a woman's ass last week. That maybe, _just maybe,_ his reaction was because it was _her._

Just as she thinks she's going to give in to her yearning, he continues in a concerned tone, his brow furrowing, "Everything okay?"

"Huh?" she replies dumbly, trying to shake herself from her lust-filled haze. To her utter disappointment, the intensity she sees in his eyes is apparently concern, not desire.

"Do you need the laundry card?" he offers, holding the card up between them, ostensibly ignorant of the wanton fever he's created in her body.

"Oh...um...yeah, I do," she replies, clearing her throat and coming back down to earth from wherever her mind went. "Thank you."

"No problem. Do you need any help with the washer?" He's gesturing with his thumb at her washer and she shakes her head to get rid of the last of the cobwebs and turns to her machine, hastily opening the door.

"No, no. I've got it."

Nodding and walking towards the door he suggests, "Then if you're all set, I'm going to head back up. Is that okay?" 

"Oh, yeah. That's fine. I'll just knock when I get back." She's trying to look busy as she speaks, lifting clothes and twisting and turning them with a scrutiny that's not at all necessary. She can't quite bring herself to look at her husband again, not after she was about to jump his bones in a hot, dirty basement laundry room.

As soon as he's gone, she drops her act and bends over to lean on the washer, dropping her chin to her chest and heaving out a deep breath. She's hoping she didn't make too much of a fool of herself. Though he seemed to possibly be impacted by being so close to her in an enclosed space, he's evidently completely unaware of just how fucking hot his body is. At work, he certainly has an ego but it appears he had no idea it would drive her _wild_ for him to take off his shirt in front of her. 

Not unlike herself in her short pajamas last week.

Whatever it means, _if anything,_ she pushes it from her mind and concentrates on shoving her laundry in because she really _is_ desperate for some clean undies...especially now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up and are about to get VERY hot VERY soon! 
> 
> Both [@NotQuiteGreylo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Notquitegreylo/pseuds/Notquitegreylo) and [@LadyRhi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyRhi/pseuds/LadyRhi) has some fabulous stories you should check out. Click on their name and it will bring you to their list of works.
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr [@greyforceuser](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/greyforceuser) and on Twitter [@forcegrey](https://twitter.com/ForceGrey).


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some interesting things happen in this one. 😏

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I mentioned I know nothing about engineering? Let's just pretend, for the sake of the story, that what I wrote makes sense. K?
> 
> I'm so happy my friend [@NotQuiteGreylo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Notquitegreylo/pseuds/Notquitegreylo) is loving this story!! It's really fun writing for someone specific who is enjoying what you are writing. Keeps the batteries charged, ya know?
> 
> Thank you so much to the Amazing [@LadyRhi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyRhi/pseuds/LadyRhi) for the beta. She is truly a gem of a person and she makes this writing better! 😘

Chapter 4

Things at work had become increasingly tense between Ben and Rey since the wedding. Not only had they shared two magnificent kisses on their wedding day, but she'd moved into his apartment and he was now exposed to her essentially all day and all night, every day of the week. She was constantly on his mind and often within reach. As warm and addicting as it was to be in the orbit of a sun that burned as brightly as she did, it was also excruciating.

After finally tasting her lips, he’d found it appallingly difficult to keep his gaze from drifting down to them on a regular basis, wishing for another sample. Unfortunately, she hadn't shown any sign that their wedding day kisses had affected her anywhere near as much as they'd affected him. For Ben, their first kiss had been everything he'd ever hoped for. He’d known the moment his lips pressed against hers he was going to be ruined for anyone else after this fake marriage came to its inevitable end.

As a result of his pent up longing, he was much more irritable at work with everyone, but most especially with Rey. Argumentative was a state of being for Ben since the moment she arrived at Light Side Engineering. She was young and radiant, full of life and ambition, and he was immediately drawn to her—like a moth to a flame. They worked together, though, and she had to be at least ten years his junior. It would be highly inappropriate for the CEO's nephew to date the college intern, even if she was in her Master's program and not an undergrad. He didn't want to do anything that would reflect poorly on the family business, or for anyone to think he was a creep.

Not to mention she'd never given _any_ indication his interest was returned. If dating a young intern might appear less than acceptable, how would being turned down by one look? He couldn't handle the mortification that would accompany such a turn of events. So, instead, his best defense was to keep her at a distance by arguing with her at every turn.

_"Ben, if we don't reinforce the battery housing in those two additional places, the solar irradiance is going to completely blow that inverter out of existence," Rey argued with a steady, low-pitched voice, brow furrowed and jaw set stubbornly. She used a pencil as an extension of her hand to indicate what part of the diagram she was speaking about._

_She was right, of course, but he couldn't just admit it. He was incredibly frustrated because she saw it in the schematics before he did. And that_ never _happened to him. After all, he was the top engineer at the firm, which was the whole reason he'd been given the project to begin with._

_The new girl had been here only a month and she apparently had the fresh eyes they sorely needed on the solar energy project. After reviewing the entire project and going over the engineering blueprints with a fine-tooth comb, she'd been able to point out some key elements that were missing._

_It pissed him off to no end._

_"Listen,_ intern, _just because you were right about the array layout doesn't mean you're right about every little thing you see. I've been working on this project for the last year all by myself and the client has been very happy with the results so far," he schooled her with a heavy sigh and clenched hands, his tone sharper than he really intended._

_Expression still pinched mulishly, she crossed her arms over her chest, unimpressed. "Fine, we'll run it by Luke and see what he thinks."_

_"No, Rey._ I'll _review it further and if_ I _feel it's necessary,_ I _will take it to Luke," he sneered. He glared at her with cold eyes and his mouth downturned. "Don't forget, this is my project,_ intern. _"_

_"And if you're worth your salt, you'll see_ I'm _right and make the change,_ Solo," _she drawled sarcastically, rolling her eyes._

_He gave her a curt nod and narrowed his eyes. "We'll see."_

_After she left the conference room, he made the necessary changes to the schematic she recommended, grumbling the entire time._

  
  
  


Being contentious had been a decent strategy, at least at first. That was, until the day he embarrassed himself on a conference call with their prized client, Harness the Sun, and Rey was summarily demanded to be assigned to the project permanently. In fact, the whole thing was her fault, to begin with. She'd come into the meeting unexpectedly after it had begun, apparently asked by Luke to take notes at the last minute because the assistant who usually did so for Ben was absent. 

Luke had been so impressed by the fresh perspective and ideas she brought to the project. In only her second month, he'd gotten her more and more involved in the project, much to Ben's chagrin. It was hard enough trying to avoid her as it was, but then his uncle began foisting her on him more and more every day.

That day, Rey had the nerve to burst into the conference room, face flushed, out of breath, and in a rather short dress. He'd clenched his jaw immediately at the thought of having to endure this call with her in the room to distract him. To top it off, the only open seat in the room was right next to him. He watched with wide eyes and gaping jaw as she sat down and crossed her legs...making the hem of her skirt ride even higher up her thighs, exposing her tan and toned skin to his greedy eyes.

It had completely flustered him. 

When he’d been trying to explain a particularly complicated process to the engineer on the other end of the call, she'd risen from her seat to lean over the conference table to pour herself a glass of water. 

His mouth had immediately gone dry, his jaw dropped open, and his brows arched like rainbows. The only thing he could see or think about was her round, luscious ass practically right in his face. It was completely unfair that she had the most perfectly shaped derriere he'd ever seen. His pants had suddenly become very tight.

The room had gone silent because Ben went speechless mid-sentence. His eyes were glued to his co-worker's bottom and his mind was a complete blank. Except for what his filthy mind was imagining what he could do to said ass, of course.

It was Luke's cough that startled him out of his trance and he'd clamped his mouth shut immediately, darting his gaze across the table to his boss.

Rey, for her part, was completely oblivious to what had just happened, so when her water was poured she slid her body back into her seat smoothly, as if nothing monumental had just occurred.

He was still staring at his boss, gobsmacked when Luke graciously encouraged him to continue. 

"Ben, you were just explaining the solar irradiance process with the inverter to Finn?" Luke reminded him calmly, gesturing with his hand to the speakerphone in the middle of the table.

Ben cleared his throat and tried to continue explaining the process, but he could just not get his train of thought back after briefly envisioning pounding his hips into the curvy behind of the demure co-worker sitting next to him.

Which meant he was doing a terrible job explaining the complicated conversion process, resulting in frustration not only with himself, but with Finn Smith because he was _just not getting it._

He'd been on the verge of saying something insulting about the other engineer's intelligence when Rey gently placed her hand on his arm and took over the explaining, not missing a beat.

On the one hand, he was grateful she’d prevented him from putting his foot in his mouth any further than he already had, but after she used such a simple analogy to explain the process, it was then that Finn insisted he wanted the young woman to be present for all of their calls. Any sense of gratitude had evaporated instantly.

Luke shrugged at Ben and could do nothing but agree that Rey would be put on the project moving forward.

And that's when the _real_ problems started.

_______

Most days, Ben's interminably grateful that he has his own office, a place he can go and let his guard down. Because, frankly, it's _exhausting_ trying to pretend he doesn't have both an intense attraction, and more importantly, _feelings_ for his unofficial co-leader. Oh, and lest he forgets, she's also his wife now.

His uncle's done a terrible job of keeping the union quiet and Ben's not quite sure if Luke had ever intended to keep mum on the subject in the office in the first place. The gossip has been rampant since he and Rey married a little over three weeks ago. Ben's been very gruff at work because he knows that his scheming coworkers are all trying to figure out if they are fucking or not; they must be taking bets on it, he imagines.

_Bastards,_ all of them.

He's just taking things one day at a time, keeping his head down, and trying to pretend nothing's changed between him and Rey when, in fact, the axis of his entire existence has been forever altered. And it's as scary as hell.

Fortunately or _unfortunately,_ Rey knows him so well by now that she sees right through his arguments easily, because she knows they're nothing but bluster. She's almost _always_ right when she suggests something, but he still gives her a hard time. Sometimes he's not sure why he bothers to keep up with the act, but then she goes and beams at him after getting her way—it's _then_ that he remembers. 

He remembers that if he compliments her on her work, things might get too real and go too far, and he can't risk it. There's no way he can go all mushy, giving her well-deserved praise, and then try to switch back to appearing aloof, uninterested, and unaffected. Ben’s just not built that way. His heart's in a precarious position, so he wants to try to keep his work life feeling as familiar and consistent as he can. For him, continuing to be combative is the way to accomplish that.

The need for work to remain his place of normalcy mostly derives from the fact that his home life's changed so dramatically. He needs to have some type of control and order _somewhere_ if he will ever survive her leaving when this arrangement has outlived its usefulness. Rey in all of his private and personal spaces at home is an inconvenience at best and torture at worst.

Thanking all the deities he can think of, Ben’s just grateful that at least she's no longer wearing those shorty-short pajamas that showed off the curve of her ass and those legs that go on for days, giving him frequent and ill-timed boners. Instead, she wears baggy sweats now, which is an improvement for sure. 

But truthfully, the damage has already been done. 

He _knows_ what's under those sweats now and he can't shake the image that's imprinted on the back of his retinas. He can also tell when she's braless, and when that happens, his mouth goes dry as he attempts to banish from his thoughts just what _that_ might look like–how her breast would fit perfectly in his hand, or how he'd like to try to stuff an entire globe in his mouth. Once those fantasies start playing through his mind, he's back to the inconvenient pitched tent in his lap.

Yes, life at home has radically changed.

One thing he can't deny is that his apartment's becoming homier now that she's adding some of her flourishes around the place. What she's put up so far has complemented what's already there quite well and Ben has to admit she really seems to have a knack for decorating.

It's nice, he thinks. Having her make their home feel cozy warms his heart.

It's a dangerous thought to be having.

Which is why her next bit of interior design catches him by surprise. 

________

It's early evening and he's just coming home from work. Luke gave him a ride since Rey drove his car home a couple of hours earlier. This is one of the ways he avoids at least one trip in close quarters with her in his car; staying late and having his uncle drop him off. 

When he enters the apartment, he's immediately halted in his tracks. Directly across from the front door, Rey is poised on a step stool reaching over her head to place some type of decorative lighting above the windows in the living room. That detail hardly gets through to him because, good God, she's wearing shorts and a tank top and there's so much skin on display, she steals his breath away. His dick insists on making its interest in the vision before him known and has him hardening in his work slacks.

In an effort to control this familiar and instantaneous response to his wife's presence, his eyes traverse the rest of the apartment from where he stands in the doorway. Apparently, she's been a busy little beaver while he was still at work. He absentmindedly throws the door closed behind him, his jaw falling open before he barks out a laugh.

"What the—," he says to himself as he takes it all in.

The entire apartment has been decked out in Halloween decorations. She's put up lights, colorful garlands, and sparkly wall decorations everywhere the eye can see. The dining room table is adorned with a black skull candelabra with flickering lights on top of a black spider web tablecloth.

The long, thin table behind the couch has been appropriated for the display of a number of different spooky statues and figures. There's a jack-o-lantern, skull, and witch. 

Rey must not have heard him come in because she's still facing away, atop the stool, working on her lights. Assuming she's listening to music, he moves closer to the couch and sees Frankenstein and Frankenstein's Bride stuffed animals on the couch, along with a couple of other Halloween pillows, and a black fleece throw blanket covered in purple bats.

"What the hell is going on here?" Ben grumbles, voice raised so that she can hear him over her AirPods.

Startled, she grabs onto the window frame so she doesn't fall off the step stool, then turns to look down at him accusingly. Instinctively, his hand shoots out to grasp her thigh in an effort to steady her. 

"Jesus, Ben, you scared the shit out of me!" she answers sharply, pulling the buds from her ears. 

Realizing that his giant paw is clutching her bare leg, uninvited, he snatches his hand back as if he's been burned. But the feeling of her soft but muscular thigh is now ingrained into his memory.

"What _is_ all this?" he demands, gesturing to the entire room with both arms and shaking his head. 

She carefully descends the step stool to stand on the floor next to him. "What does it look like? I'm decorating for Halloween," is her sarcastic answer as she walks away, waving dismissively.

"This isn't decorating for Halloween, this is craziness." 

His hands are on his hips and his gaze follows her movements while she reaches for something else in the plastic tub of decor she's working out of.

"You didn't okay this with me. I don't want this shit all over my apartment, Rey," he rants at her, jutting his hard, distinctive jaw and furrowing his brows.

Whirling around to face him, she unleashes her anger, eyes ablaze.

"Hey, I live here, too, you know. Or maybe you _forgot_ since I never see you around here."

Letting out a beleaguered sigh, he pinches the bridge of his nose, one hand still on his hip. "Of course I know you live here, Rey. And I want you to feel comfortable but this is way too far over the top."

"No, it's not. Halloween's my _favorite_ holiday and I always decorate like this," he hears her declare with her chin high and a gleam in her eye, arms now crossed over her chest. "Festive yet tasteful," she defends.

Opening his eyes to try to reason with her without losing his temper, he glimpses something that’s catching the light on her face. Apparently, while handling her glittery decorations, some of the shimmery dust must have come off on her hands. Now that he's looking closely, she has a light sheen of sparkles in various locations on her face. It's on her cheeks, up around her forehead, where she must have pushed her hair away, a smudge under her chin, and a cute subtle sprinkling of the substance on the tip of her nose. 

_I want to kiss it off._

Belatedly, he notices that with her arms crossed her breasts are pushed together, creating a decolletage that makes his mouth water. 

_With even more sparkles across the flesh heaving with ire._

Groaning internally, it's with a Herculean effort that Ben rips his attention away from her cleavage to walk back toward the dining room. He hopes she can't tell he's trying to discreetly adjust himself in his pants as he moves.

Trying to recapture some of the outrage that his apartment's been taken over by the seasonal department at Target, he digs his heels in. Gesturing at the dining room table exhibit, he indicates the absurdity of what's displayed. 

"Like this? What the hell is this?" he snaps as he turns to face her once again. "A lace spiderweb cloth with a skull candelabra? It looks like you're going to do a Goddamn seance or something."

He picks up the candelabra to take a closer look at the intricate designs on the base and quickly realizes this is one of the sources of the stray glitter on Rey's face and neck. 

_And breasts._

Ben shakes his head to rid himself of that thought. As he's scowling at the offending object, she quickly reaches toward it and is _almost_ able to snatch it back before he pulls it away.

"Hey, give me that," she admonishes him sharply, stretching to grab at what he's hijacked off the table.

In response, he just raises it up higher, to where he knows his superior height will prevent her from reaching it.

"No," he taunts. Then in a deep baritone, he issues her a challenge, eyes sparkling with mischief, "Make me."

Her eyes harden, brows furrow, and lips press together in a thin line. Taking a step closer, she leans further in, extending her arm and fingers in an effort to retrieve what's hers.

Her attempt, of course, is feeble. All it really does is bring her nearer to him, which he can't deny is a delightful side effect of his teasing. It’s when she places her hand in the middle of his chest for leverage that his brain finally realizes its miscalculations.

"Give it to me," Rey fumes through gritted teeth before Ben can think any further on his misstep. She moves again, and not only is her hand above his rapidly beating heart, but she's resorted to pressing her lithe form against his to stretch even further.

Trying to disperse the electricity that began thrumming through his body at her first touch, he breathes in deeply through his nostrils, making them flare. Only to realize that this yet another blunder in what seems to be a long series of them. Because now the only thing he can smell is her mouth-watering scent, a combination of her Country Apple Shower Gel and the fragrance that is distinctly _Rey._

He peers down at her and she's glaring up at him with narrowed eyes and wrinkled nose, challenging him.

"Give it. To me," she orders him in a deep, husky tone, her hazel gaze penetrating his own, holding him captive.

And that's when this stops being a game.

There's a hitch in his breath at the way she commands him and he clamps his mouth closed, working his jaw. He's both aroused and curious of this newly revealed truculent side of Rey. Her lips part invitingly as she regards him, her own breathing growing labored the longer their bodies are connected so intimately with each other.

His mind's only too aware of how little she's actually wearing and that his shaft has been standing at attention since he walked into his home. Now, with her up against him like this and her lips a hair's breadth away from his, Ben has no idea at all why he's been withholding his attraction, this _connection,_ to her.

He doesn't know who moves first, or if they both move at the same time, but suddenly their lips are crashing together like the atoms of a particle collider, and the plastic decoration falls from his hand onto the carpeted floor with a dull thud. His arms wrap around her of their own volition, pulling Rey flush against his body and the rapidly enlarging bulge in his pants. 

In return, her arms coil around his neck, knitting them tightly together. Delving his tongue into her warm and waiting mouth, he can't hold back the desperate longing he's had for her, his craving driven higher by her brazenly enthusiastic response. He strokes his tongue against hers again and again before running it across the roof of her mouth.

_She's so soft, I could kiss her for the rest of my life and be happy._

Ben both hears and feels Rey groan at his tongue's teasing, bolstering his confidence that she wants this physical contact as badly as he does. Recalling how she reacted a week ago when he’d palmed her bare ass, he slides his possessive hands down her back, over her flaring hips, and squeezes her buttocks through her skimpy shorts. Her indecent vocal response is captured by his searing kiss as he forces her up against his straining erection, informing her of his ravenous thirst for her.

Her fingers sink into his tresses, grasping and pulling at the locks of his hair, her nails scraping across his scalp indiscriminately. Completely unsure of which he likes best, he grunts an affirmation that is muffled by their lips and tongues exploring each other. 

Impatient for more, his hands slide her effortlessly up his body by her thighs, and before he can think, her long legs wrap around his waist, locking her hot and heated core over his distended member. Ben’s hand presses her against him harder and he rolls his hips against her, a lewd moan escaping from her as she rips her mouth from his, throwing her head back in bliss.

Through the foggy haze of desire, he somehow remembers they are directly in front of the dining room table and he takes a step before depositing Rey onto it, his wandering hands now sliding upward toward her breasts. Giving them a brief squeeze, she groans her approval before his hands continue up further until they are buried in her hair, pushing her mouth into his so they are slotted together perfectly. Their tongues engage in an age-old dance of passion, giving and taking of each other as though they were always meant to be together this way.

_That's what I'd like to believe, anyway._

Reveling in her matching hunger, he lets out a growl when Rey’s hands make their way slowly from his hair, all the way down his back until they reach his buttocks, guiding him to drive his hips against hers.

Ben encourages her to lean back, resting his weight on top of her while they continue to plunder each other's mouths like they are wild animals, starving and tasting their first meal in weeks.

His chest is against hers and he delights in how her rounded breasts are crushed against his chiseled upper torso. Her stiff nipples against him are a pleasure he couldn't have anticipated enjoying so thoroughly. In a bold move, he removes his hands from her hair to grasp the hem of her tank top and swiftly lifts it over her head, leaving her in just her lace bralette before his ravenous gaze. 

And the sweet specks of glitter lightly dusted over her cleavage. 

He doesn't have to imagine what he'd do anymore, because it's right there in front of him, to do with as he chooses. 

_And I will._

He satisfies his earlier urges, lowering his head to lap and kiss the glitter between Rey’s breasts. Planting kisses along her sternum, he moves toward a lace-covered breast, opening wide to wrest the whole thing into his warm mouth, sucking on it in earnest. She lets out a lusty sigh and Ben releases it, the fabric now wet with his saliva, before his hand dives into the lingerie to unveil the plump and perfect globe inside. Wasting no time, his tongue circles the hardened tip until she lets out a wanton cry. At that, he envelopes her entire areola and sucks hard, earning another lascivious moan from the object of his intense and desperate desire. 

It's in that moment he vows to himself that if they are doing this, he's going to pull every moan, whimper, and cry out of her he can. 

_And I'll savor every single one like a rare, fine wine._

He mutters to Rey as his lips imprint a molten line of kisses down her neck, "Tell me that you want this as much as I do."

He can tell she does by the way her arms clutch him so tightly, but he needs to hear her words—her _consent._

_Her confession._

Shifting back just enough that he can take in the raw beauty that he's been yearning for over the last year, he sees all he needs in her eyes. Her hazel irises are swallowed in black, her attention focused on his lips so intently, he knows that her lust is equal to his.

"Say it," Ben demands in a low, sultry tone, wanting her to admit the truth. When she doesn't acquiesce, he demands it again. 

"Say it," he cajoles gently, for this is not _just_ about consent. Her ardent participation is all the consent he requires, but he _has_ to have her acknowledge her need out loud. He didn't realize just how badly he needed that until this very moment and he won't continue if she doesn't give it to him.

Holding himself motionless above her, his searching eyes rake across her face as he waits with bated breath until she finally concedes. 

"Yes," Rey offers breathily.

But it's not quite enough. 

_Not yet._

"Yes, _what?"_ he insists fiercely, his deep voice barely audible.

Ben’s stomach clenches when he finally sees it in her eyes; the precious moment in which she gives in. It's surrender, an epiphany, and liberation all at once, and it's all there in her darkened hazel orbs, just for him. 

"Yes, I want this," she yields, her words as much demand as a declaration.

Exultant, he wastes no time and seizes her mouth again, owning her with the ferocity of his want. His hand glides lower, below the waistband of her shorts, and into the protected haven of her pussy. His searching fingers continue beyond the trim hairs covering her treasures to find the wet folds waiting for him below. Sliding them up and down the softest thing he's ever touched, his fingertips seek out the heart of her femininity and he relishes the pool of moisture he finds accumulated there already.

Once he finds the little bud at the top of her mons, Rey whimpers. 

_Fucking whimpers!_

It’s as if she's been waiting for him to touch her like this for her whole life. He circles it with light pressure, wanting to tease out more delicious noises, and she rewards him with a high pitched whine and a buck of her hips.

Groaning into her mouth, Ben's nimble digits begin to map out every crease and crevice between her legs, from her clit to her entrance. Dragging his middle finger back and forth across her opening, he feels a distinct power running through him when she cants her hips to try and force his finger inside. Her pleasure's literally in his hands and he's the only one who can give her what she wants. The notion arouses him even further, his cock harder than it's ever been in his life.

Without further ado, he gives her what she needs and slides his finger inside her tight sheath all the way up to the last knuckle. Her mouth opens wide in the middle of a kiss to make a desperate gasp. Her channel is already so slick, his finger glides in without resistance, even with the way her inner walls are constricting around him.

Ben draws his head back to watch and he basks in the debauched expression she wears, her mouth still gaping open, eyes closed, and her forehead wrinkled, her breath ragged as his finger pumps in and out of her.

"Mm, Rey," he grunts as he continues the movement of his hand. Her back is arching off the table as he adds another finger to the mix and it slides in so easily now that she's even wetter.

More delectable noises are coming from Rey as he fucks her with his fingers, and as much as he wants it to be his dick inside her, he's desperate to make her come at least once before he takes her. He wants her core hot, wet, and ready to take his cock deep inside...where it _belongs._

Unable to resist her breast as it bows out toward him, he laves at her nipple again, taking hold of the luscious mound in his hand and kneading it as he licks. Peering up at her face under his lashes, he begins to quicken his pace with his fingers, his tongue circling the hardened nipple until she whines. Then he wraps his lips around the tip to bring the distended nub into his mouth, suckling on it heartily, eliciting another shameless moan.

Her cunt is sopping as he pistons in and out, her juices dripping down his hand and wrist before he changes the angle to stroke against her front wall. She practically _screams_ when he does and _God_ he could do this all day! That is, if the bulge straining the front of his trousers wasn't trying to burst out on its own to get into that new home he knows will be so warm and welcoming. 

"Do you like this, Rey?" Ben mutters gruffly as he can feel her crest rising. He wants to make her come so bad he can taste it now. "Huh, sweetheart, do you like my fingers fucking you? Hmm?"

A guttural sound erupts from Rey's throat, which he interprets to be an unequivocal _yes._

_That's the best thing I've heard all week._

"Show me how much you like it, Rey. Come on my hand. I want to feel it," he directs her, his voice low and hoarse as he gazes up at her rapturous expression. "Then I'm going to fuck you," he promises in a dirty hiss.

She seems to agree with what he says as she hums back at him in response, her inner walls contracting around him. He's so turned on by her reactions right now, he's afraid he might actually come in his pants.

Ben's going to have prunes for fingers with how long they've been buried inside her drenched canal, nudging her closer and closer to ecstasy. And he wouldn't have it any other way. He'll finger her all day and all night if that's how long it takes to get her to come. 

_It's a responsibility I'll take on gladly._

Rey's back is arched at an almost impossible angle and, feeling the warning pulses, he knows she's just about there. Leaning down again, his hot tongue licks up her neck to the back of her ear and he suckles on her lobe for a brief moment.

"Is that what you want?" Ben whispers in her ear. "Do you want me to fuck you, Rey?" he asks seductively and she explodes with the force of her climax. 

Her whole body is spasming, wanton moans filling the room as more liquid gushes out of her. His fingers are thrusting in and out without any break in his demanding pace, squelching through her soaked cunt. It's harder to push them in and out now, but he doesn't give up, determined to make this the most devastating orgasm he can.

He murmurs soft, little praises in her ear as she shatters. Things like, _so good; that's it, Rey; let it go, sweetheart; such a good girl for me; you're so fucking beautiful like this._

Then he's dropping soft kisses on Rey's ear and neck, slowly drifting toward her mouth so he can stake his claim over her once again. Ben plunders her, driving his tongue into her mouth and commanding her to respond.

_And oh, how she does._

Her tongue meets his and they devour each other in a violently passionate kiss.

By now, he's so fucking hard, it hurts just thinking about it. He pulls his fingers from her dripping center to rip feverishly at his pants. Looking down, he realizes her little panties are still on and _that just won't do._

He wants _all_ of her pussy when he's finally able to make Rey his.

Her panties are off faster than lightning and before he delves inside, he takes a good, long look at what he's coveted for the last year.

"Oh, Rey. You're fucking gorgeous. Everywhere," Ben tells her, the hunger in him barely held in check. As if he can't help himself, he drags his finger through the wet mess he's made of her and practically growls. His inner caveman is very pleased with what he's done to her so far.

_"I knew it._ I knew you had a perfect little pussy."

Pulling her legs up so that her feet rest on the edge of the table, he then spreads her wide. Taking himself in hand, he drags his hardened length up and down, through the saturated folds of her outer lips before notching the tip just inside her entrance. Leaning forward, Ben places his hands on the table on either side of her head.

Meeting her lust-blown gaze with his own, he asks raggedly, almost at his breaking point, "Ready?" 

When Rey nods at him and mutters, "Yeah," the animal is finally released and he pushes forward to impale her on his aching cock.

_I've never felt anything better._

Looking down, he can no longer see his manhood, just the smattering of his dark pubic hair up against her finely-trimmed strip because he's _inside_ Rey, all the way to the hilt. 

And that's when he notices the glitter. 

_That damn sparkly candelabra!_ Some of the shimmer must have come off on his hand when he picked it up and now it's smeared across her mound from when he finger-fucked her. It's a discovery that's amusing, annoying, and arousing all at the same time.

Her timely moan brings him back to what he should be concentrating on. Ben takes in her expression and she looks a little wild, which is exactly how he feels. He pulls out almost all the way, only to sink back in fully, forcing obscene noises to erupt out of them both.

"Holy shit, Rey," he exclaims, beginning to pant. 

He's inside Rey. _I'm fucking inside Rey._ The woman of his dreams. 

_My wife._

_If this is a dream, I never want to wake up._

Unable to hold back any longer, he draws himself back and begins driving into her at a steady pace. He wants this to last, but he's not sure he can. He's wanted her for too long.

She’s everything he’d imagined and more, and he tells her just that.

"You feel so fucking good, Rey," Ben hears his gravelly voice say, his eyes clenched tight to keep himself from coming too soon.

He's snapping his hips against her pelvis and it makes a delicious slapping noise with each connection. Gaze drifting lower again, he watches with awe as his shaft moves in and out of Rey at a rapidly increasing speed.

So far, he's only been paying attention to how it feels to him because he's still somewhat in shock that this is actually happening. He's wanted it longer than he can remember and now that it's here, he needs to know that she is enjoying it as much as he is.

"Rey," he calls through the lusty haze. "Look at me." She does as he asks and meets his stare. "Does this feel good?"

"Yes," Rey answers in a raspy tone. Then he snaps sharply into her, causing her to moan. "Oh God, yes, Ben! It feels good. So good," she gets out in a strained voice.

Her words and sounds are music to his ears and he begins fucking into her resolutely. Watching for every nuance of emotion her face makes, he thrusts harder and harder into her tight cunt. 

"Uh, yes, Ben. Harder," she grunts, her own hips meeting him with each thrust.

The slapping sounds are wetter and louder now, and both of them are emitting filthy little noises that tell the story of the carnal dance they're engaged in. The dining room table is scraping on the floor and one chair's already tipped over from the roughness of their exertions.

"That's it, Rey. Take it," Ben growls, baring his teeth and slamming into her again and again, pushing them both closer to reaching Elysium. "So fucking tight," he rasps.

Lowering his chest, still fully clothed, he seizes her mouth and holds his weight above her on one elbow, pounding into her, unrelenting. His right hand slithers down to where they're joined, his greedy fingers looking for that little bud he knows will launch her over the edge. 

It's a little hard to find with Rey's pussy so engorged with her arousal, but after searching her folds for it, he finally presses on it and she squeals. He's rubbing her clit and railing into her, making her pant and mewl intermittently. 

_This is probably one of the happiest moments of my life._

"Look at me, Rey," he commands. "I want you looking at me when I make you come, okay?" he asks in his deep bass. "Can you do that for me?"

Her eyes open at his first order and she answers in a breathy voice, "Yes."

"Good girl," he whispers, and she must like that because she keens, her mouth dropping open.

Ben’s fucking into her for all he's worth now and flicking at her nub when her throat emits a couple of high pitch whines. The next thing he knows, her walls clamp around him and she lets out an exquisite moan as she reaches her bliss. He continues driving his hard cock into her, rubbing her, working her through her release.

She's beyond resplendent in her ascension. He's never seen anything as beautiful in his life as his wife lost to oblivion.

_I want to see this every day for the rest of my life._

"Ben," Rey gasps as she begins to come down from her high. 

Her face is flushed with the hint of a smile and she sighs with satisfaction in the afterglow.

After being squeezed by her channel, he's closer than ever and brings his hand back to the table to brace himself. He pumps faster and harder and the table is actually skipping across the floor as he ruts into her. 

Ben wants nothing more than to look her in the eye when he empties himself inside her, and after a few more table-moving thrusts, he's there, painting her insides with his seed. He's still plunging into her as he hurtles over the edge, his vision just about whites out and he roars like an animal at the sheer delirium of the feeling—the knowledge that he just came inside Rey. 

It's the most glorious orgasm Ben’s experienced in his entire life and he practically collapses on top of her, panting and exhausted from the most passionate lovemaking he's ever participated in.

_And it was with Rey. My wife._

His face is buried in her neck as he gasps heavily, both of them trying to regain their breath and bearing after such a torrid coupling. They're both a sweaty mess and as they return to some semblance of normalcy, he realizes that even the little bit of weight he's resting on her must be too much.

Drawing his head back, Ben peers down into the glowing face of the woman he's in love with and smooths back some damp wisps of hair from her forehead tenderly. Rey’s the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, but her radiance after making love is beyond compare. His heart clenches because he knows he wants to be the only person ever to make her feel this way.

It's with everything in his being that he thinks, _hopes._

_Maybe I can be?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weeeelllll.... Does anyone need a cigarette? 
> 
> My dear friend @NotQuiteGreylo, when coming up with her prompts for this FALL exchange, neglected to include anything FALL related. AT ALL. It was left to me to add it on my own, thus this chapter included Halloween decorating, which is also done to the max at my house. Many references to specific decorations are directly from our cache. Lights, sparkly things on the walls, Frankie and his Bride, and candelabra included! Along with outdoor lights and lots of other spooky things hanging around near the front door. 😂 👻👽☠🕸🦇🧟🧛
> 
> Tell me, does anyone get why I perhaps used the word "Truculent" in this chapter? Do tell...
> 
> I also squeezed in some canon lines, too. Hopefully, you noticed the "give it to me". When that scene comes on in TROS, I just picture Kylo like this:  
> 
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr [@greyforceuser](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/greyforceuser) and on Twitter [@forcegrey](https://twitter.com/ForceGrey)
> 
> Also I have some other stories if you are interested. One is Holiday one! And one is just winter fluffy goodness!  
> [Let's Meet Under the Mistletoe](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17180975/chapters/40396676) 7/7 **COMPLETE**  
> [Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17081243/chapters/40167917) 4/4 **COMPLETE**  
> 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the ever-generous [@LadyRhi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyRhi/pseuds/LadyRhi) for the instrumental beta on this!


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